New Trip – Iconic Wildlife in Great Bear Rainforest, Sep 18-24

This fall, bear witness to BC’s most iconic wildlife as they converge on the Great Bear RainforestMaple Leaf Adventures adds new trip to 2012 schedule departing Sept. 18, 2012

Cruising the fjords of the Great Bear Rainforest in September

June 26, 2012, Victoria, BC – Maple Leaf Adventures is proud to announce the addition of a new Great Bear Rainforest trip to their 2012 schedule, departing Sept. 18 – 24, 2012. The timing will allow guests to bear witness to nature’s amazing fall wildlife viewing opportunities when bears, eagles, whales and other marine mammals converge on this remote part of BC’s West Coast to feast on spawning salmon.

“Due to unprecedented interest in our Great Bear Rainforest trip this year we have added a fifth trip to our September schedule,” says Kevin Smith, president of Maple Leaf Adventures. “Recent media coverage surrounding the proposed oil pipeline and tanker route through this unique ecological area has peaked peoples’ interest. They want to see one of the world’s last great wildernesses firsthand in a sustainable way – conservation tourism is definitely a growing trend among travellers.”

Maple Leaf Adventures is a leader in conservation tourism within the Great Bear Rainforest and northwestern Vancouver Island, and has made significant contributions to conservation on the coast. With limited space available throughout the summer – the Aug. 2 – 10, 2012 adventure to the Great Bear Rainforest is the only remaining departure with space – the Sept. 18, 2012 sailing was added as a response to the growing demand.

“I volunteered five years of my life to be a negotiator for outdoor recreation and tourism values on the Great Bear Rainforest land use plan, which gave rise to the $120M Coast Opportunity Fund to support a conservation economy in the Great Bear Rainforest,” says Smith. “Maple Leaf Adventures is proud to be an advocate of a conservation economy; our low impact, eco-tourism trips give guests a once in a lifetime, educational experience.”

Grizzly bear in an estuary meadow in autumn. Photo taken on a September Great Bear Rainforest trip with Maple Leaf Adventures by Greg Shea.

Great Bear Rainforest trip, Sept. 18 – 24, 2012
Named one of the “50 tours of a lifetime” by National Geographic Traveler in 2011, the Great Bear Rainforest trip offers up to eight guests the opportunity to experience the area from the decks of the comfortable, 70-foot sailboat, SV Achiever.

The seven-day, six-night trip through the Inside Passage and along British Columbia’s central coast is a scenic exploration of fjords, mountains, rainforests and great river estuaries. In the fall, these estuaries mark the beginning of a long journey for wild Pacific salmon that travel up the rivers to their spawning grounds. This salmon run creates a feeding frenzy as bears and wolves come to the riverbanks to feast on the bounty. Eagles, ravens, ducks and a host of other birds join the fray.

Spirit bear in the Great Bear Rainforest. Photo by James Warburton, taken on a Maple Leaf Adventures trip.

The Great Bear Rainforest is thought to support BC’s largest… remaining population of grizzly bear. The area is also home to a large population of black bears, and is the habitat of the rare, white Spirit bear (or Kermode bear). Guests will float in a shore boat or sit in a safe location on land to watch these great mammals fish, dig for roots and train their cubs.

Guests will also walk through the ancient spruce and cedar trees of the Great Bear Rainforest led by a naturalist; explore untouched West Coast beaches; and visit First Nations villages to learn about the human culture that developed from this incredible rainforest world.

The Great Bear Rainforest trip departs from and returns to Bella Bella, BC. Cost per guest is $4,100 Cdn and includes all shore excursions, meals, accommodation and use of onboard equipment. Bella Bella is easily accessed from Vancouver, BC (~1.5 hours by plane). For more information and reservations to bear witness, visit contact Maple Leaf’s office via this web form, call 1-888-599-5323 / +1-250-386-7245, or visit one of the trip webpages:

About Maple Leaf Adventures
Maple Leaf Adventures has provided conservation travel experiences aboard a classic sailing ship since 1986. With a reputation as one of Canada’s top sustainable tour operators, its multi-day excursions give guests one-of-a-kind experiences in some of the most beautiful and rare places in the world, often in areas that were once under threat of destruction or in dire need of protection. As a long time practitioner of ecotourism, Maple Leaf Adventures pioneered travel in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest and northwestern Vancouver Island and has made significant contributions to conservation. National Geographic Adventure has rated Maple Leaf one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth”. For more information, visit www.MapleLeafAdventures.com.